Washington’s Bailey named to All-GTNS team

Fairfield and Keokuk dominated the Southeast Conference in girls basketball this season, thus Fairfield dominated the All-GTNS team with coach, captain and four players.

Washington's Isabel Bailey was selected to the team as was Mt. Pleasant's Maddie Williamson.

Shaylin Drish, junior, Fairfield

Drish was named captain of the GTNS team. Drish is a name synonymous with athletic achievement in Fairfield and Drish is holding her own through her first two and a half years of high school sports.

Nicole Buch's Robin from a year ago has become the teams' Bat(wo)man and led the Trojans with 303 points, good for 15.2 points per game while shooting at a 45 percent clip from the field and an outstanding 43 percent from the perimeter on 114 attempts. As a guard, Drish was also fourth on the team in total rebounds with 85, second in assists with 45 and first with 53 steals while only committing 31 fouls in 21 games played.

Isabel Bailey, senior, Washington

Bailey was the unquestioned leader of the Demons with team highs in points per game (8.0), free throws made and attempted (43 of 75), field goals made and attempted (49 of 153), assists (35) and steals (40). Basketball is just one of the many sports Bailey excels at.

Washington had its best record in Bailey's career under first-year head coach Shannon Rugg.

Maddie Williamson, senior, Mt. Pleasant

Mt. Pleasant's senior guard had a lot on her plate this season. Not only was she the team's leading returner scoring wise, but she was the only returning starting guard and had to move to the point guard position.

Despite the position change and often taking on a tough defensive matchup, Williamson scored 11.6 points per game, which was third in the Southeast Conference. She finished the year with 49 assists, which was second in the conference, and 39 assists.

Williamson's senior leadership helped the Panthers take third place in the SEC with a 4-4 record. She scored 13.1 points per game in conference play.

Destiny Gridley, junior, Fairfield

Gridley had her breakout season and earned a role as offensive sidekick to her Trojan captain, scoring 9.5 points per contest while finishing second on the team in 3-point conversions and attempts. Gridley also grabbed 78 rebounds and 48 steals while dishing out 38 assists. This is the first All-GTNS selection for Gridley who also competes in cross country, track and softball while holding double duty in the fall as one of the Trojan flag girls.

Ashley Bloomquist, senior, Fairfield

Bloomquist has the tenacity of a bulldog with a passion for running and competing. This is why she succeeds in sports that aren't even her best, like basketball. While Bloomquist is known as a long-distance specialist on the race course, she defensively fills every inch of the 84 feet of hardwood during a basketball game. The senior multi-sport standout took a bit of a reserve role offensively, scoring 6.5 points per game, but was readily available to scorch the nets when needed, as she did when she hit six 3-pointers in eight attempts during the Coaches versus Cancer contest at Fort Madison. The future Wartburg freshman also grabbed 89 rebounds for third on the team, 25 steals for fourth and led the Trojans with 59 assists.

Kara Jeffrey, senior, Fairfield

The 6'0 center for the Trojans over the last two seasons is another example of a Trojan collecting All-GTNS accolades in multiple sports during her senior year with Jeffrey having already captained the large school volleyball squad in November, her third All-GTNS overall at that point with this being her first selection to the basketball team.

The standout student-athlete notched 7.6 points and 5.6 rebounds per game this season and 313 and 304 for her career, respectively, while also dishing out 32 assists, nabbing 40 steals and blocking 14 shots during her senior campaign. Jeffrey was a second-team All-SEC choice and this is her fourth All-GTNS team.

Brian Witzenburg, Fairfield, coach

Witzenburg inherited a program on the verge of a return to state prominence and hasn't disappointed Trojan Nation during his first two campaigns. They have included back-to-back regional final appearances, the school's first trip to the girls' state tournament in nearly three decades and a .733 winning percentage with 33 victories in his young coaching career. This is Witzenburg's second go round as the All-GTNS large school skipper.